The 10 foreign countries that send the most students to American colleges

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In this Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, photo, Brooklyn College students walk between classes on campus, in New York. The students say a proposal to make college tuition-free for middle-class students at New York public universities would provide welcome financial help, but note that free tuition doesn't mean free college because of the expense of things like room and board and books.

AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

The number of foreign students in American schools has been surging.

The number of foreign students in American schools has been surging over the past decade, and numbers are up again, according to data from the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education (IIE).

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The trend is noteworthy in light of President Donald Trump's recent executive order that bars citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen from entering the US for 90 days. Some experts believe that the ban could have far-reaching implications on enrollment at US colleges.

Foreign students in the US were up 7.1% from academic year 2015-16 with 1,043,839 students total, and international students now make up 5.2% of all higher education students in the US.

The influx of foreign students is vital for American universities, and especially public universities, which have become increasingly dependent on foreign students to fund their budgets.

Here are the 10 foreign countries that send the most students to American colleges:

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